Pressurized gases, such as, air, helium, nitrogen, halogen, natural gas, and the like, have many uses in industry. In general, pressurized gas systems work by providing a receiver, also commonly known as a tank, canister, reservoir, etc., which receives and stores the compressed gas for use at a later time. A discharge on the receiver is accessed to disburse some of the compressed gas from the receiver, which correspondingly reduces the pressure of the gas contained in the receiver.
A gas compressor is a mechanical device used to recharge or pressurize the receiver after a determined volume of pressurized gas has been discharged from the receiver or the receiver pressure has decreased to a predetermined value. The gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of gas by reducing its volume. Often, the term gas compressor and air compressor are used interchangeably herein. Many gas compressors draw gas from the ambient atmosphere. In any event, a volume of gas is inducted into the compressor and then mechanically compressed into a smaller volume in the compression chamber. The compressed gas is then discharged from the compressor and stored in a gas receiver. Compressed gas is used for a wide range of applications.
In some applications, a piston compressor may be used to compress the gas. The piston compressor may be a single stage compressor or may have multiple stages. The piston compressor may work by pulling gas into the piston chamber, compressing the gas, and discharging the gas from the piston chamber. The piston compressor may operate under severe conditions when the acting load magnitude and direction fluctuate rapidly. Some piston compressors may also operate under high temperatures and strict lubrication environments.
As can be appreciated, the piston assembly in a piston compressor requires adequate lubrication and strength to withstand the severe operating conditions. Thus, against this background, an improved bushing for piston compressors is needed.